“Drink today’s wine today, tomorrow’s worries can wait until tomorrow.”
Old Man Guan sat at the table, happily sipping his wine with a flushed face and cheerful mood.
The more he looked at Qiao Zilin, the more impressed he became.
This young woman truly was extraordinary. She could manage a household, cook delicious meals, understand farming, and even discuss architecture with confidence. Women like her were incredibly rare.
He silently decided that he would visit this place more often in the future.
Recently, he had heard that they were preparing to plant rice. Out of curiosity, he had personally gone to the foot of the mountain to take a look. The rice seedlings there were lush and vibrant, growing exceptionally well. They even mentioned transplanting the seedlings later, something that sounded almost unbelievable to him.
In the Lingnan region, hardly anyone had ever successfully grown an autumn rice crop.
Most people barely understood how to cultivate spring grain properly, and even then, the harvests were painfully low. Since yields were so poor, who would dare waste effort attempting a second planting season?
Yet he had heard that Qiao Zilin’s farming methods could produce up to a thousand catties per mu.
For ordinary farming families, a thousand catties of grain was enough to feed a household for several years.
Because grain harvests were usually scarce, most people survived on coarse rice or black flour. Eating white rice even once in a while was already considered a luxury.
Qiao Zilin looked at Old Man Guan, who was sitting there nodding sleepily like a chicken pecking grain, and nearly burst out laughing.
“Husband, Grandpa Guan is drunk. Let him stay here for the night.”
Long Zhenting nodded.
“Shiyi.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Help Grandpa Guan to the guest room.”
Shiyi immediately stepped forward to support the drunken old man and escorted him toward the guest quarters outside the main courtyard.
Once they left, Long Zhenting turned toward Qiao Zilin.
“Lin’er, it’s getting late. Let’s wash up and rest.”
Recently, he had been busy supervising construction and plowing the fields. He had not had much time alone with his wife, and his patience had long since worn thin.
“Husband, it’s still ear…”
Before Qiao Zilin could finish speaking, Long Zhenting suddenly scooped her into his arms and strode toward their bedroom.
As he walked, he impatiently began removing his outer robe.
His urgency left Qiao Zilin momentarily stunned.
“Husband, let me bathe first.”
“Fine,” he replied hoarsely. “We’ll bathe together.”
Moments later, the two stood facing each other without a stitch of clothing between them.
Long Zhenting’s eyes were slightly bloodshot as he stared at her intensely, like a predator locking onto its prey. The look alone sent tingles across Qiao Zilin’s skin.
Soon, the sound of splashing water echoed from the bathhouse.
The air steadily grew hotter and hotter.
By the end, Qiao Zilin could barely remain standing, collapsing weakly into Long Zhenting’s embrace.
This man truly seemed to possess endless stamina.
She honestly suspected that if she did not stop him, he would happily drag her into bed every single night.
The next morning, remembering that they still needed to purchase supplies for the roof beam ceremony, Qiao Zilin woke up early.
However, Long Zhenting insisted there was no rush and coaxed her back into bed.
That “little bit longer” of sleep lasted all the way until nearly noon.
Qiao Zilin hurriedly washed up and changed clothes before climbing into the carriage with Long Zhenting.
Thinking about it carefully, she realized she had stayed inside the estate for more than a month without ever stepping beyond its gates.
Every day, she had been busy going back and forth between the courtyard and the foot of the mountain.
Now that she was finally outside, she felt like a bird freed from its cage.
She remembered the estate being quite far from town because when she arrived in her bridal sedan chair, the journey had taken nearly an hour.
Yet by horse carriage today, it only took around fifteen minutes.
The carriage rolled steadily into Ping’an Town.
Surprisingly, Long Zhenting did not take her directly to the Xiao family shop. Instead, they stopped in front of a restaurant.
Qiao Zilin initially thought he was simply bringing her out for a meal.
However, the moment she stepped inside, she noticed something strange.
The restaurant was nearly empty.
It was peak lunchtime, yet there were barely any customers.
Meanwhile, the restaurant across the street was packed with diners.
Was the food there better? Or perhaps their prices were cheaper?
Just as she was wondering, an older man approached respectfully and bowed to Long Zhenting.
“Young Master, you’ve arrived.”
Long Zhenting gently held Qiao Zilin’s hand and introduced her.
“Uncle Kang, this is my wife, Qiao Zilin. From now on, you can discuss all culinary matters with her.”
Only then did Qiao Zilin realize this was the restaurant Long Zhenting had gifted her.
Judging from the current business, things were not looking good at all.
Still, since she was already here, she was determined to turn things around until the restaurant became packed with customers every single day.
Uncle Kang discreetly sized her up.
This young lady understood cooking?
He was somewhat doubtful, but still politely bowed.
“Greetings, Madam. I am Kang Bo, the manager here.”
Qiao Zilin casually waved her hand before heading straight toward the kitchen.
Because business was slow, the kitchen staff were not busy. Two chefs and a waiter stood together chatting idly.
Seeing her enter, they immediately moved to stop her.
“Miss, the kitchen is restricted. Outsiders aren’t allowed inside.”
Before Qiao Zilin could answer, Uncle Kang hurried over behind her.
“This is the Young Mistress,” he explained quickly. “She’s here to… inspect the kitchen.”
Truthfully, even Uncle Kang himself had no idea why Qiao Zilin had marched directly into the kitchen.
The staff instantly bowed after learning her identity.
Qiao Zilin merely waved dismissively before pointing toward one of the chefs, a middle-aged man around Uncle Kang’s age.
“Take that pork over there and boil it first. Add scallions, ginger, and cooking wine to remove the smell.”
Then she pointed at the younger chef nearby.
“Go catch a fish. Remove the scales and gills carefully, and make sure to scrape the black membrane clean from the fish belly.”
After giving instructions, she walked straight toward the cutting board.
The kitchen staff exchanged bewildered looks.
“Why are you all standing there?” Uncle Kang barked. “Hurry up and do as Madam says!”
Only then did the chefs reluctantly move.
Honestly, they felt uncomfortable taking orders from such a young woman. In their minds, she was probably just some pampered noble lady giving random instructions.
Surely she could not actually cook.
Unfortunately for them, they were about to be proven very wrong.
The moment Qiao Zilin entered the kitchen, she had already assessed everything.
The ingredients were all fresh. There was no shortage of meat, vegetables, poultry, or seasonings.
Since the restaurant had no customers despite good supplies, the problem could only lie with the chefs’ cooking skills.
Today, she decided to make two dishes.
Twice-Cooked Pork with Green Peppers.
And Boiled Fish in Chili Oil.
While the chefs prepared the ingredients, Qiao Zilin quickly began chopping aromatics and seasonings.
Soon, the younger chef carried over the cleaned fish.
“Madam, the fish is ready.”
Qiao Zilin examined it carefully.
The fish had been cleaned thoroughly and neatly.
This chef was clearly attentive and efficient.
Placing the fish onto the cutting board, she asked, “Do you know how to slice fish fillets?”
The young man shook his head honestly.
“We’re making Boiled Fish today. The fish slices need to be paper-thin.”
Without another word, Qiao Zilin picked up the knife.
As she demonstrated the technique, she calmly explained each cooking step at the same time.
Wang Yuan stared at her movements in shock.
Her knife skills were smooth, precise, and incredibly practiced. The fish slices she produced were almost translucent.
At that moment, all the doubt in his heart disappeared completely.
A person with knife skills like this could never be bad at cooking.
This Young Mistress was no ornamental noblewoman.
She was a true master of the kitchen.